


Bad Luck and Perfect Timing

by Phoebe_Snow



Series: A Force of Two [30]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Attraction, Conversations, Developing Friendships, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Interracial Relationship, Male-Female Friendship, Meet-Cute, Rey Skywalker, Rey and Finn are made for each other, Students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:21:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24079687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Snow/pseuds/Phoebe_Snow
Summary: Rey sleeps through her alarm and misses breakfast to get to school on time. When lunchtime rolls around, she’s broke and starving, certain that she’ll only be able to get snack food from the vending machine. Luckily, Finn comes to her rescue.
Relationships: Finn/Rey
Series: A Force of Two [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/781764
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	Bad Luck and Perfect Timing

* * *

Rey's eyes opened and she rolled onto her side, moaning sleepily. She got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, as she always did in the morning. Once she finished using the toilet, she washed her hands, dried them and went back to her room. The clock read 7:38 am.

"Oh, my God!" She ran to her closet and yanked out a yellow button down blouse, a pair of black jeans and a pair of lace up boots. She put on the first bralette she found in her underwear drawer, uncaring if it didn’t match her clothes. No one was going to see it anyway.

_I can’t believe I slept through the alarm_ _,_ she thought in annoyance. She always had her alarm set to go off at 7:00 am. That way, she could take a shower, eat breakfast and get her outfit ready without having to rush. Unfortunately, she would have to rush today.

Class started at 8 o'clock and since Naboo University was fifteen minutes away from her apartment, she'd have to skip her shower and breakfast in order to get there on time. She groaned as she brushed her teeth, remembering that she forgot to go shopping last night, so there were no pop tarts in the cupboard.

"You're a real mess today, girl," she grumbled to herself. After rinsing out her mouth, she gathered her hair and put it in a sloppy bun at the top of her head. Then she left her apartment and got in her car.

Rey usually stayed a few miles under the speed limit, but she went over it today. She hoped that she wouldn’t get pulled over, but she had to put the pedal to the medal if she wanted to be at school before class started. Mr. Kenobi had opined his distaste for tardiness and she didn’t want to get called out for showing up past time.

Thankfully, there was no heavy traffic on the roads and no police cars were in the vicinity. She was able to park on campus, run through the hall of the building and reach history class before 8:00. When she threw herself on a seat in the second row, Mr. a Kenobi looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Good timing, Ms. Skywalker." His tone was full of dry sarcasm, but she didn’t let that affect her.

"Thank you, sir." She sighed and set her backpack on the table in front of her, taking out her notepad and history book. Her stomach was empty, but she found a granola bar in her front zippered pocket. Well, at least she could have a little something in her belly.

* * *

Rey was grateful when lunchtime came around. The granola bar she ate in history class had been a comfort, but her stomach needed better nourishment. She walked down the hall to the cafeteria and took out her wallet. When she opened the section where she kept her bills, she let out a squeak as she saw there was nothing but a one dollar bill inside.

"...oh no." Now she remembered. Yesterday had been very busy because she had taken a math and a science exam. She had meant to go to the bank and take out a couple hundred dollars for gas and lunch, but by the time she left school, she’d been so tired that she forgot.

That was why there was no money in her wallet, just a lone dollar bill. She searched carefully in all the compartments of her backpack, but came up with nothing. "Well, I guess it's off to the vending machines, then." Rey sighed and put the dollar in her back pocket, trudging to the hallway. 

When she stood in front of the vending machine, she skimmed the selections. None of them were too encouraging, but she did see a nice-sized bag of chili cheese Fritos. The only problem was it cost $1.75, which was more than what she had in her wallet.

Her stomach growled noisily, making her cheeks flush in embarrassment when a few students walked past her. There was no possible way for her to manage going more than half of her day with one granola bar in her belly.

Rey rubbed her forehead as she realized all of the other choices in the machine that were less than a dollar were gum. She scowled and kicked at the ground. "This is just not my day."

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, glaring daggers at the vending machine until someone's voice interrupted her thoughts. "What happened? It stole your money and didn’t give you back your change?"

The voice belonged to Finn Storm, one of her classmates. He was a sophomore and she was a freshman. They shared two classes, biology and English literature. Last week, they'd been assigned to do a science project together, which had been a lot of fun.

Finn had an easygoing nature and he was very likable, so Rey had enjoyed the time they spent together in class. She always felt a little unsure of herself whenever he was around and her heart would pound and her hands would get clammy. As silly as it was for her to admit, she'd developed a crush on him.

He didn’t know, of course. How could he? They weren’t friends, but they would speak to one another if they found themselves in the same room. Finn had also helped Rey a few times in English lit because it wasn’t her strongest subject. The thing is, she didn’t know what to do with herself when she was near him, so she usually avoided him.

Yeah, it was stupid and **so** eighth grade, but she did it regardless. Better to keep away than risk looking like a fool because she couldn’t get a handle on her feelings. It’s not that she was afraid she’d throw herself at him, but she had a habit of gabbing too much when she was nervous and since Finn's gorgeous face was looking down at hers, she was a bundle of nerves.

"Oh. It's not that. I just realized that I don’t have enough money for the Fritos." Rey ducked her head, feeling shame.

"You just want to eat Fritos for lunch?" He sounded confused.

"No, I slept through my alarm this morning and I had to rush to get to school on time, so I couldn’t eat breakfast. All I had was a little granola bar in my backpack, which was good, but since I forgot to go to the bank yesterday and take out some money for lunch, I have no cash on me. I have one dollar in my wallet and that’s not enough to buy a snack from this stupid machine. So I’m going to starve for the rest of the day."

Rey took a deep breath and tugged at a loose strand of hair that came out of her scrunchie. Her embarrassment was even worse now because of how she just rambled about her problems in front of Finn. He probably thought she was a spaz.

"Tell you what. Why don’t you let me buy you lunch?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Sure. No one should go through an entire school day without eating. It’s not healthy. If you don’t get enough fuel, it’ll be hard to do your work." He stepped closer to her and motioned to the cafeteria. "Come on."

This was unexpected. Rey felt her cheeks warm, but she zipped her wallet up and put it in her backpack. "Okay. Thank you."

"You’re welcome." He picked up two trays and handed her one. "Don’t worry about how much anything costs. If you want it, you can have it. Money is no object." 

"Cool!" Rey beamed at him. She hadn’t expected such kindness, but she definitely wouldn’t turn it down. 

Finn got Atlantic smoked salmon, coleslaw, a loaded baked potato and a bottle of orange juice. Rey got two chicken shish kebabs, mac and cheese and a bottle of lemonade. At the checkout, Finn paid for their food and once he pocketed his change, they picked up their trays and moved forward. "Where do you want to sit?"

Rey was surprised that he deferred to her, but she smiled. This guy really was sweet. She looked around the room and motioned to an empty booth a few feet away from them. 

"How about a booth? They’re nice and intimate." 

_Shit! Why did I say that? Now he’s probably going to think I want to seduce him or something._

Instead of giving her a funny look, Finn nodded. "That’s a good idea, and they’re cushioned, which makes them more comfortable than chairs." They walked to the booth and sat across from each other.

For a moment, they dug into their food. Rey sneaked little glances at him when he wasn’t looking. He had skin that was the color of dark chocolate, a prominent nose and  full lips - _boy_ , did she like his lips. Finn Storm was a very attractive man.

He had a thoughtful look on his face. "I’ve noticed that you keep to yourself a lot. Do you have a hard time making friends?"

"Oh, not really. I'm introverted, but I also like to see what a person is like before I start hanging out with them. Anyway, I just started this semester, which was a little over a month ago and I’m still getting my bearings."

"I gotcha. Well, if you want, I could help you out since I live on campus. I also have a part-time job in the admissions office as a file clerk, so I know this school like the back of my hand. I know it can be pretty overwhelming when you’re adjusting." He lifted a spoonful of coleslaw to his mouth.

"I may take you up on that. It is a little intimidating here, but when I was looking at colleges and university pamphlets, this one had a fantastic engineering program that I couldn’t pass."

There was a spark of interest in Finn's eyes. "You want to be a mechanic?"

"Yeah. I've always been good with my hands and engineering has intrigued me since I was a kid. Back home, I used to help my dad and my friends with their car issues, so I made a nice bit of money doing that. When I'm creating or fixing something with my bare hands, it’s very relaxing and cathartic. I guess that sounds weird."

"No way! It makes sense. I honestly believe that we’re all put on this earth with a special talent and we should use it to help mankind. We'll always need mechanics and people who can create things from scratch, so that’s an extremely useful area of study."

His praise made Rey feel good and the anxiety she initially felt when he spoke to her in the hallway slowly began to evaporate. "Thanks. It’s something I’m passionate about, so I know that’s what I should do. I'm also glad Naboo University is only an hour away from home and I can visit my dad on the weekends."

"Family is important."

"Definitely. I’m glad my dad didn’t get all weepy and dramatic when it was time for me to leave. We're close, but he knew I needed to spread my wings, so he sent me off with his blessing. No matter what happens, he'll always be a part of my life." Rey noticed a wistful expression on Finn's face. "Are you okay?"

"Mmhm. I was thinking about my parents. They...died when I was twelve."

"Oh, my God. I’m so sorry." Before she could think about it, her hand reached out to touch his.

Finn didn’t recoil though. He accepted her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "It’s okay. It happened a long time ago. I still miss them, but I cherish the memories I have of them. I wasn’t alone though. My grandma raised me, so I did have someone to look up to."

"I'm happy to hear that. No one should be alone."

"I agree. Grandma knew how to keep me busy during school breaks. She taught me how to play the piano when I was fourteen. The first time I tried, I sucked, but it awoke something inside of me. I just knew that music was going to be a part of my life."

He withdrew his hand and tapped the hard plastic of the table. "I joined the school choir as a piano player. Sometimes, after school, I'd practice playing the guitar and the drums. It didn’t take long before I was really good."

Rey felt like Finn had a lot in common with her. He seemed to adore his talent for music just as she loved her talent for engineering. "I don’t know anyone who can play musical instruments. Do you have a favorite?"

"The piano. It was the first one I learned and it’s close to my heart. I’ve worked on it much more than I have the guitar or the drums. I enjoy playing all of them though. I'd love to be a composer. Someone who actually creates their own music? That would be the best job in the world."

She nodded in understanding. "Music is an integral part of everyone’s lives. Especially movie scores. I can’t count the number of times that I've been watching a movie and the music sweeps you into the story. It’s like it pulls you into the moment and you can understand what the characters are feeling." Rey glanced at Finn who looked at her with a tiny smile.

"Does that sound strange?"

"Not at all! That's exactly how I feel about music too. It speaks to me and it’s nice to know you get it. You and I are kind of like kindred spirits."

"I’ll drink to that!" She raised her lemonade and he held up his orange juice, bumping the bottles together.

Their conversation continued to be quite animated and refreshing. Once they finished eating, they threw their scraps away and set the trays on the stack on top of the trash receptacle. Finn glanced at his watch to check the time. 

"It’s 12:06, so we won't have to run to make bio."

"Thank goodness." Rey toyed with the bottom hem of her blouse. Suddenly, she felt bashful. Having lunch with Finn had been exciting, but she didn’t know where to go from here. Would he consider her a friend now or would they go back to being acquaintances?

Before she could say anything, he beat her to it. "Rey, would you like to sit next to me in science class? It's not my best subject and since you like it, I'd appreciate your help."

"Of course! I’d be happy to! Do...do you want my number?" At his questioning expression, she hurried to correct herself. "You know, so you can give me a call or FaceTime me if you need extra help after school?"

"Actually, yeah. I would. Thanks for offering. And I'll give you my number too, in case you need help with English lit." He pulled out his cell and they exchanged numbers. When that was finished, they headed for the science lab.

They reached the lab with a few minutes to spare and sat next to one another. Rey leaned over to Finn. "I'm gonna buy you lunch tomorrow."

He waved his hand. "There’s no need."

"I know, but I'd like to. You were sweet to me today and I want to repay you to show you my appreciation."

His tongue darted out to lick his lips and his eyes took her in, carefully measuring her with his gaze. The scrutiny made Rey's cheeks flush and she was positive that her face was turning red. He sent her a dazzling smile, followed by a wink. "Alright, it’s a date."

Rey hadn’t expected him to say that, so she nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Inside, she was screaming in excitement. With four words, he added fuel to the fire of her crush on him. As she took out her pencil case and textbook, she shivered, thinking of the heated look he sent her. She had a feeling they wouldn’t be friends for long before moving on to something more.

Oh, she couldn’t wait for that!

**Author's Note:**

> Drop by my [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/greenfleeze) or [reys.finn](https://instagram.com/reys.finn?igshid=1o09f75amuhjg) and say hi!💞


End file.
